By A.V. Musick

“Your mission field is wherever you put your two feet.” – Tammy Dunkum. 

These words are a simple truth that we often forget, but they are words that carry great importance for those who are passionate about serving. 

The Heights Baptist Church in South Chesterfield. Photo courtesy of The Heights Baptist via thb.church.

In October, I sat down with Tammy Dunkum, Youth Program Manager of Autism Society of Central Virginia and Special Needs Coordinator at The Heights Baptist Church in South Chesterfield, to learn more about her calling to serve children with special needs all over the world. Dunkum has always had an inkling that she was called to serve these children. She noted that, even from a young age, “the Lord has always put families impacted by disabilities in my life.” 

When Dunkum was growing up, her mother ran an in-home daycare where one of her students was a child with disabilities. Dunkum recalled, “to watch him develop relationships and friendships with other children in the daycare just really impacted me.” She believes this experience nudged her towards working with kids similar to him in her future. 

Tammy Dunkum. Photo courtesy of The Heights Baptist via thb.church.

Dunkum grew up in Southwest Virginia in the small town of Christiansburg. After graduating high school, she pursued a broadcast journalism degree from Radford University. Following her time at Radford, Dunkum took a job in the communications department at the Richmond-based International Mission Board (IMB), a foundation aiming to spread the gospel all over the world to people who are “despaired and displaced,” according to their website. Dunkum reflected on her time with the IMB, stating, “although I’ve gone a lot of places around the world serving the Lord, I’ve always just had a heart to serve in my own backyard.” This concept led her to her next endeavor.

After her work for the IMB, Dunkum took time off from her career to have two children and raise her family, as family has always been a priority for her. Years later, she began her teaching career at Webber Community Christian School, a small Christian school in Chesterfield which has since closed, where she taught Kindergarten and 1st grade for four years.

Continuing to put her family first, and following in her mother’s footsteps, Dunkum started her own in-home daycare for teachers during school hours when her two kids were in middle school. One of her students had developmental delays. Recognizing the child’s needs, Dunkum partnered with the mother and VCU Children’s Hospital to provide comprehensive care and facilitate speech therapy, working with the child during daycare hours to enhance his speech development. Dunkum reflected on the joy it brought both her and the family to see the child improve: “Whenever you’re serving disability, you’re not just serving the person; you’re serving the family.” 

Dunkum rockclimbing with an ASCV participant. Photo credit: Tammy Dunkum.

In the years following her daycare, Dunkum worked as a volunteer coordinator at a food pantry and pregnancy center but still was not feeling the total fulfillment of her calling. She then joined her daughter at Liberty University, online, and got her master’s degree in Human Services Counseling so she could “cast a wide net.” She was able to find a job as a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). An RBT is a “paraprofessional certification in behavior analysis,” according to the Behavior Analysis Certification Board. Dunkum felt called to serve even more children, so she got a job as a Program Facilitator, then later Youth Program Manager, for the Autism Society of Central Virginia (ASCV), in addition to being an RBT.

Founded by a group of parents over 40 years ago, Richmond’s affiliate of Autism Society of America was first run solely by volunteers. It wasn’t until 2000 that its first staff member was hired. The Autism Society of Central Virginia supports individuals with autism and their families. According to their website, their mission is to “support, empower, and build connections to improve the lives of all in our local autism community.”

Dunkum enjoying ASCV programs with her campers. Photo credit: Tammy Dunkum.

Dunkum noted her favorite programs at ASCV include Spring Break Camp, Sibshops, and a Virtual Q&A Support Group for Caregivers of Young Children. She enjoys Spring Break Camp because the camp is held at True Timber, an outdoor site where kids get to roam and experience nature, which often is more beneficial for behavior than being indoors. Dunkum also thoroughly enjoys running Sibshops, where siblings of kids with Autism can get together and discuss their shared experiences. “It allows them to build friendships with peers that have a family dynamic similar to theirs,” says Dunkum. In addition, she explains, “showing [parents] we’re here to support them like every step of the way… that’s why I love my job.”

While Dunkum continues to work for the Autism Society, she no longer practices as an RBT. Instead, she runs the special needs ministry at The Heights Baptist Church. Dunkum has always believed in “using your gifts in the church,” so taking on this role was ideal for her. Dunkum recognized early on that so many families with special needs didn’t have access to church, because most churches don’t have resources to support those families. After praying, Dunkum felt called to reach out to the NextGen Ministry at her church to inquire about starting a special needs ministry. 

Dunkum and students at her Special Needs Ministries VBS this summer. Photo credit: Tammy Dunkum.

The beginning of her ministry at The Heights Baptist (THB) began with a family of two kids, both heavily impacted by disabilities. Years ago, a group of ladies started a self-contained class for them, called Miracles, to give the parents a respite during service. Dunkum noted this class was more like babysitting and did not include lessons and Bible stories. In addition to this one family, Dunkum had heard of others who had children with special needs who wanted to be a part of the mainstream youth services, but with extra support.

“I think it’s always important when you’re in ministry to recognize where your church is and who you have within your church that’ll help support you,” Dunkum said, reflecting on why she stepped into her current role. Using her experience, talent, and calling, Dunkum decided to take on the special needs ministry and expand its reach. Dunkum added, “Whenever you say yes to the Lord, He really will equip you with the people and the tools that you need to make it happen if it’s in His will.” This statement proved true for Dunkum as she embarked on this journey.

Shortly after presenting to the Next Gen team, her church held a WinShape vacation Bible school camp in partnership with Chick-Fil-A. The leaders of WinShape had just come from Park Valley Church in Northern Virginia and informed Dunkum of their well-run program. Intrigued, Dunkum and her team met with leaders from Park Valley and left feeling hopeful for the future of their program at THB. She heard the impact Park Valley had on its families and decided to model her ministry after them in hopes of doing the same at THB. 

Dunkum then heard of a local non-profit organization that is designed to help churches build their special needs ministries from the ground up. Benevolence United, founded by Samantha Jones—a volunteer at her church determined to make church accessible for families impacted by disabilities—assessed THB for free, looking at the building for ADA compliance and the functionality of the church as a whole. The foundation then created a presentation showing what works well and what the church could improve on, providing training on everything from how to greet people with disabilities when they arrive to baptizing people in wheelchairs. Dunkum was full of appreciation and gratitude when describing their work to me. 

One of THB’s Special Needs Ministry participants arriving at Church. Photo credit: Tammy Dunkum/The Heights Baptist.

When reflecting on her time building the special needs ministry, Dunkum noted, parents’ lives “have not ended up the way they thought it would, but yet they still love and trust God, despite their circumstances.” She went on to say, “it’s an honor to bless people who choose to worship, knowing that, you know the future is not obvious as to what it’s going to be.”

In our conversation, Dunkum voiced what we were both thinking, “If you really want to see God, see it through the lens of people with disabilities.” Dunkum highlighted several stories, but one in particular was about a nonverbal, sedentary child who, when worship music comes on, dances and lifts his hands high. 

Dunkum shared another story of a 1st grade girl in her ministry learning parts of the Old Testament. She noted this child did not know Jesus yet, and Dunkum was trying to get her caught up in order to enter the mainstream classes. Dunkum nervously had reached the point in her lesson where she had to teach the Holy Spirit, a vast concept for many, especially a 1st grader. In her explanation, Dunkum described it as God’s voice in her head talking to her. Before Dunkum could even finish, the child interrupted and said, “Oh, I know who the Holy Spirit is. He talks to me all the time.” In her reflection, Dunkum commented, “It hit me: like well, of course she does, because that’s the beauty of working with anybody who’s made in the image of God. Regardless of disability, we are still image bearers,” a beautiful reminder to anyone who works with similar ministries. 

I have had the privilege of working at ASCV and in the special needs ministry at my church, HOPE Church, for the past year. In addition, I have learned many leadership skills from Dunkum these past few months at ASCV. It is fulfilling to see children grow each week in both their skill set and their faith. 

To wrap up our conversation, I asked Dunkum if she had any advice, and she offered me this, “all you have to do is be His and see what God is doing in your life around you. Land your two feet and be a part of it.”